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Good morning to all - up way too early this morning, going to be dark for another couple of hours. We have no plans for today. Yesterday we went into the old part of town and walked around a bit and ate at a very good restaurant outside. The day before we went to El Quelite - the little colorful town. For some reason we are both getting restless - talking about leaving Mazatlan and going somewhere else. It is getting to be a big city here now with all the new construction every where and so many tourist all the time. Not the Mazatlan we've loved. Progress is good for the people here, but... Might go south to visit friends or might slowly go north stopping at all the little towns we've missed for years. Or might not do any thing. Weather here is perfect. And one nice thing our utility bills at home are low because no one is home.
Anne I went to your Esty store yesterday and discovered the prices are in pesos here in Mexico - just surprised me. The peso is 18.60 to 1 dollar. Thought you might get a kick out of seeing it.

I see there is another weather front heading to the west coast. Even Vegas got a lot of rain the other day and enough snow on the mountain to close it because of avalanches.
Every one take care if you are out and about. Keep dry, warm and happy.

Good Morning Carol and all. Is a beautiful but cold sunny morning here too. Temperature is 6°. This is the first sunny morning that we have had since 28 December and only the second one since December 1st. . It might be a bit on the chilly side, but nobody’s complaining about that.



Tbere is some warmth to that sun and once it gets higher in the sky, it will warm up more. I think we are supposed to be in the 30s for this next week. We are averaging at least 10° above average for this time of year. And as you can see in my picture there is very little snow here. It might be a couple inches on the level out there, but there’s also a fair amount of bare ground around. We are at the halfway point of our total snowfall for the season. We’ve had 80 inches so far but you sure wouldn’t know it.

Not sure just what I’m going to do today. And someway this would be a great day to take a ride up to Mackinac. The dogs might enjoy getting out of the house for a while besides our daily dog walks. It might be a little too cold to walk around up there though. Otherwise I haven’t been doing a whole lot of anything. Spending a little bit too much time ship watching on that link that I posted in general talk. There was 1000 foot freighter goingthrough the locks when I stopped watching to come over here, another 1000 footer heading in and a Canadian Coast Guard cutter waiting to get in. Yeah it becomes interesting because some of the ships have got ice on them from being out on the open lake. Tomorrow is the last day the locks will be open and there are probably three or four boats left up on Lake Superior yet to come through. It is a beautiful day up there as well and the scenery is spectacular.

Carol, I know what you mean about things changing. I have a favorite places to that I have kind of quit going through because of that or maybe been there so much that it’s time for a change of scenery. Sometimes going somewhere else is good.

So just checking in for the morning and I’m going back to my shop watching for just a bit and then it’s time to get a move on around here. The more I think about it, the more I think about it, the more that openroad is starting to call. Don’t have to be in any rush As it’s only an hour away. Will check the weather cameras and see what’s up that way. Have a good day all.

Afternoon All, cloudy again and didn’t bother to check temperature. Went to dinner with porch friend last night. Have leftover gnocchi, mushrooms, peas and prosciutto for dinner. Anne, I’m using fat free sweetened condensed milk. I add enough fat free milk until it wasn’t too sweet. Can have a couple cans in the pantry instead of running in and out of stores for cream. I try to eat food without additives as much as possible. I can buy dark chocolate with money saved. Lol. Wish I had some exciting news but nothing. I did put a spider plant pup in a cup of water to root for #2 daughter. I will quit before I put everyone to sleep. Off to watch Sue’s ships. Be safe

Shirlv wrote:Anne, I’m using fat free sweetened condensed milk. I add enough fat free milk until it wasn’t too sweet. Can have a couple cans in the pantry instead of running in and out of stores for cream.

Good morning, Shirl, Ann, Sue and all who follow.

Shirl, I definitely thought about you yesterday afternoon. Remember when I wrote a couple of days ago that 12-ounce cans of plain (unsweetened) evaporated milk were about $.70 (seventy) cents a can several months ago at my local grocery chain, and that the last time I was there (last week some time), that the price had jumped to $1.08 dollars a can?

Remember how I was complaining about the jump in price?

Well. Let the good times roll.

Yesterday I went to to my local supermarket chain and this very self-same, store-brand, 12-ounce can of evaporated milk had jumped to. . . [drum roll] $1.49 per can. This is NOT a typo! One-dollar-forty-nine-cents!!

Yowza.

The nightly news has been saying for a while that inflation has caused prices to jump 20% or so. Oh yeah? By my "meagre math" (LOL, I was never too good at math in the first place, but I can compute some things!) this makes the price jump more than 100% on this one item (based on the original seventy-cents per can of a couple months ago). (For those who might be wondering, NBC Nightly News posts their daily broadcast to a YouTube channel, so I am able to watch it).

This, to me, is scary, scary stuff. Especially for us ladies "of a certain age", and definitely for all folks on a fixed income.

Dang.

Anne

Good afternoon ladies!

Carol, I follow your blog daily and so enjoy the beautiful colors of the buildings you share with us. Sue, after you posted today, I went to the link you posted in the General Forum and watched the Coast Guard cutter go through the lock. Like Beth said, that link is addicting! Shirl, your posts are never boring! I enjoy reading what you are doing on the shore.

It's chilly in central FL. But this too, shall pass. A friend in our congregation died and her Requiem Mass will be Monday. I've been working lots of hours today sending the Father of our church the links to the hymns picked plus the links for the sheet music. The hymns the family chose are Catholic hymns and not in our hymnal, so hopefully he'll have copies of the hymns for Monday's service. Why didn't I do that you ask? I don't have a printer and I truly don't want one.

We ordered a 4 door antique looking shelf because we were accumulating way too much food in our kitchen cupboards and was running out of room for important things like dishes. After watching a youtube video, thanks to many of you, we figured out how it went together. It still took about six hours, but the food is in that and our dishes have room again.

asirimarco wrote:Anne I went to your Esty store yesterday and discovered the prices are in pesos here in Mexico - just surprised me. The peso is 18.60 to 1 dollar. Thought you might get a kick out of seeing it.

Wow. Get a kick out of it? LOL, the listed prices pretty much made my eyes bug out. So, after I caught my breath, I rushed over to a website that has a calculator that does the conversion:

https://www.currency.me.uk/convert/mxn/usd

The calculator come up with $31.50 U. S. Dollars. Whew! Knowing that the Exchange Rate can vary daily, this pricing was interesting to see. On the version of Etsy that I can see (U.S.), the prices for both of these is $29.99, (including a free gift box and USPO free first-class shipping).

Thanks so much for posting this, I had no idea that my "fixin's" were available on the Mexican version of the Etsy website. Interesting!!

Etsy, while expensive (Etsy has various fees and charges for Etsy sellers that really add up) really does provide a service for hobbyists like me. I would be making jewelry anyway - it's just what I "do", especially during this never-ending pandemic. So it is a LOT better than throwing my creations in a drawer somewhere - and then moving on to the next drawer when the first one fills up!!

And (Ta-da!!) I would like to announce the sale of a necklace overseas - my first "International" sale. This necklace went to The Netherlands.

https://i.etsystatic.com/33611337/r/il/6dc80b/4455902915/il_794xN.4455902915_vf39.jpg

Woo-Hoo! I am definitely getting rich selling jewelry on Etsy!!

Just for fun, let's add it all up.

The price of this piece was $24.95, U. S. dollars. All of my pieces include free, First Class (USPO) shipping. (Of course, the shipping isn't "free" - I pay for it, the buyer does not.)

Shipping on this piece was $16.95 (High, because it was an international delivery. Shipping for sales within the continental U. S. are about $5.00) . The "free" gift box (I ship all of my jewelry with a free gift box - which is, of course, not free to me). The wholesale price of the gift box was $2.00. The padded envelope to ship the the piece was $1.00 (I buy shipping envelopes in bulk, so they might sit around a while).

The Etsy "fees" (for maintaining my store, for listing the piece, the Etsy "commission" for selling the piece on their website all together was about $4.00 - this can vary quite a bit, the Etsy fees are based on the sales price of the piece. The focal stone of the piece - a very nice flame agate - cost me around $5.00. The chain, the clasp, and the wire to wrap the piece cost me about $2.00.

Ok. Now let's do the math (I'm not counting the time - in dollars - it actually took me to make the piece, photograph the piece, type a description for the piece for posting on Etsy, process/package the piece for shipping, and hand-carry it to the post office - about 4 hours).

$16.95 + $2.00 + $1.00 + $4.00 + $5.00 + $2.00 = $30.95 (for a necklace that was sold for $24.95)

Oh. Oops! Told you I wasn't such whiz in the math department.

Actually, I don't really mind this. I am just starting out in this Etsy adventure (although I have been making jewelry for about fifteen years). In an online sales situation, the more sales (with good reviews - good reviews from buyers are the key) the better. It makes future buyers more confident that they will get what they pay for - and confident that they can get their money back if they are unhappy (for any reason) with their purchase.

I'm playing "the long game" here, hoping it will all pan out in the end. If I don't go broke first. . .

If the person that purchased this necklace leaves a bad review, I will really be bummed.

Thanks again for posting the Mexican Pesos version of my listing! So far as I know, I am not able to see it from my end otherwise.

Sunny here (at least at the moment) with "heavy rain" predicted for later today, and on into tonight.

You all have a nice day!!

Anne

Good morning...still...whew. Woke up to ok temps 50 but was super foggy so felt really damp outside. Seems to be clearing up now but we will be mostly cloudy today with some possible rain. Then we have more storms coming in so will be pretty much same-o-same-o.

Pan fried scallops for dinner with a veggie and some awesome french bread., Going to vacuum in a bit as I want to get ready to shampoo my family room and hallway. So will move to the living room tomorrow. I like watching the ships too but I have to make myself leave them so I get something done ha ha

Anne I really like your jewelry, very classy. I dont wear any jewelry anymore and what I did have went poof in the fire but still wasn't alot. A couple keepsakes of my Mom's, and that was important. Carol I love your blog, you take me back to when I used to spend time down there in Bucerias by Puerta Vallarta. But it has changed so much also with the new modern homes being built. I prefer the mexican villas.

OregonLuvr wrote:Anne I really like your jewelry, very classy. I dont wear any jewelry anymore and what I did have went poof in the fire but still wasn't alot. A couple keepsakes of my Mom's, and that was important.

Thank you, Karen. You made my day.

I know that most ladies "of a certain age" likely have long ago already acquired all of the jewelry they will ever need - and then some! - but I truly love making jewelry, and I do most sincerely appreciate the opportunity to share my jewelry-making "adventures" here on Beth's forum.

Thanks, everyone!!

Anne

Anne, I had a ball the other night going back to look at your jewelry. I, like Karen, never wear any anymore. I have tried to put earrings in a couple times but would need to get my ears pierced again lol. But I almost purchased anyway. You have lovely pieces. May I suggest you at least change your free shipping to within the US?

We have a dog parade tomorrow. I hope I can convince Ty to wear the little costume I got him. Obviously there'll be a picture if he does.

Bedtime for me keeps getting later and later. So tonight I'm going to try to get to sleep at a decent hour. Night all.

Bethers wrote:Anne, I had a ball the other night going back to look at your jewelry. I, like Karen, never wear any anymore. I have tried to put earrings in a couple times but would need to get my ears pierced again lol. But I almost purchased anyway. You have lovely pieces. May I suggest you at least change your free shipping to within the US?

Thanks for visiting, Beth!

Probably I should do that, just limit my free shipping to within the U.S. The various shipping set-ups on Etsy are basically a pain, programming-wise. I think the free shipping thing is all or nothing - in other words, each specific item needs to be listed with free shipping - or not - no matter where it goes. I might just eliminate international sales, though. Shipping is just too expensive.

I keep the free shipping thing because the Etsy algorithm gives precedence to items that offer free shipping in the internal Etsy search engine.

But I probably need to do a bit more reading-up, there may be a way to eliminate free shipping for on specific items for international orders, and keep it for domestic order.

Thanks, Beth!

Anne

Anne, you should charge something for shipping and especially for international purchases. Your prices are very affordable so no one should be upset about a shipping fee. Maybe just add it into the price of the jewelry.

Beth, I hope you take pics of the pet parade!

Carol, have you been to Lake Chapala? I have heard it is really pretty and very popular with ex-pats.

Last night when I got home from work, I laid down on my bed because I had some back pain (sciatica) and knee pain and I was exhausted. I fell asleep about 7pm and woke up at midnight! Put on my pj's and went back to sleep. Woke up at 8 am! I decided to ask my manager about cutting my hours each day down to max of 6 hours, and he said he could do that. I hope he can! 6 hours is about the point where I start feeling uncomfortable and tired each day. I think part of why I get so tired is because it is so noisy there. We are just inside the door of Walmart and there are carts clanging constantly, kids game machines with sirens and bells going off, greeters with their walkie talkies blaring, people talking, kids screaming, etc, etc. It is very annoying and distracting all day long. Being that I have ADHD, I am super sensitive to noise and distractions so it makes me anxious and stressed. It is like being at a carnival all day long! Don't even get me started on having to use WM's disgusting bathrooms! I have asked to be moved to the other shop nearby but they won't consider that. I have thought about looking for another job, like the local library!

I am also getting really frustrated and discouraged about nothing happening with my house. The only park models selling here are the expensive ones on the golf course. Haven't had one person look at mine yet. My window for selling this place closes in April when the snowbirds head back home. I think the fact that they stopped allowing full-time owners to buy here last year, is making a big difference too. That eliminates quite a few buyers in my price range (the "riff-raff", according to some here ).

In 2 days I will be eligible to get my National Parks Senior Pass. Don't have the money to spend on that right now but will get one later on for sure. I still need to pay for an oil change for my Jeep, and get an eye exam since I can't see well with my glasses anymore.

It is raining here tonight. Not a lot but fairly steady. We'll take it.

HI all,

Sue, that's a beautiful pic to start the day - but only 6 degrees! I think I've become a Californian - even the 40's feel cold to me now.

And yes, I've noticed the cost of coffee creamers has gone up considerably. Crazy! I only buy it when its on sale now & try to always an extra one on hand. I might have to try some of your ideas using canned options.

Anne, your jewelry is beautiful! I hope there aren't any tariffs/taxes due when that piece gets to the Netherlands. I know in France, the tariff/taxes are so high, someone receiving an item from overseas pays more than the item originally cost itself. I no longer ship anything to my DD. So beware - the buyer could refuse to accept the item & it doesn't get sent back to the seller.
Does Etsy mention anything about this to buyers when shipping overseas?

Barbie, that new policy is really hurting you. Hope your place sells soon. I saw the pic on FB & it's very cute.

My DD left on Wed. so I'm getting back to my own routine. Only challenge will be taking the baby with me when Sadie needs to go out. I took him in the stroller the other day & he was good for a short time. Guess Sadie is just going to have to be ok without a long walk before doing her business when he's here - at least until he's a little bigger. I can, at least, take her out right in front of my place to go pee when he's napping & I always take her for longer walks before he gets here.

I roughed out my taxes this weekend to see what the contract work does to my taxes. It definitely makes a difference (paying more taxes) but I'll keep an eye on it as I'd rather enjoy my time rather than work & give more & more to Uncle Sam.

I finally had what I would have considered a 'snow day' back in KS. It rained non-stop yesterday so I didn't go out except to take Sadie out a couple of times. Lovely grey & gloomy day to sort thru drawers, get things put away & just nest in general. Some of our sidewalks have an inch or so of water on them so I have to plan Sadie's walk accordingly. Just wish CA was able to save all this water. My jasmines are loving it & flowering out though.

Take care out there,
Catherine

cnq50b wrote:Anne, your jewelry is beautiful! I hope there aren't any tariffs/taxes due when that piece gets to the Netherlands. I know in France, the tariff/taxes are so high, someone receiving an item from overseas pays more than the item originally cost itself. I no longer ship anything to my DD. So beware - the buyer could refuse to accept the item & it doesn't get sent back to the seller.
Does Etsy mention anything about this to buyers when shipping overseas? Catherine

Thank you for the compliment, Catherine! Much appreciated!

In answer to your question. . . Er (oops!) I'm not sure (Duh!) . However, there was something about VAT (Value Added Tax) as part of the paperwork generated by Etsy for the shipping part - there was a little button that said "VAT Collected", and a statement that I needed to put this Etsy generated number on the outside of the package. I think that maybe was why the shipping overseas was so expensive, because the VAT was part of it. Tracking tells me that the package was delivered, but that's all I know, haven't heard anything back from the buyer.

I am giving serious thought to eliminating overseas sales from my shop. The shipping is just too expensive, unless I can figure out a way to have the overseas buyer pay the shipping. . . and, since it is so expensive, probably a buyer wouldn't want to pay that anyway.

Something else to think about, thanks for your insight Catherine! Lots of good info from you, thanks!

Anne